To the Editor: The Clinical Review on systolic
hypertension in older persons by Dr Chaudhry and colleagues1 concluded
that the evidence for treating patients with systolic blood pressure (SBP)
in the range of 140 to 159 mm Hg is “less strong” than that for
patients with SBP of 160 mm Hg and higher. In part, this conclusion was based
on the entry criteria and baseline blood pressures of patients in the Systolic
Hypertension in Elderly Persons (SHEP) trial.2 However,
a close look at the data from this trial suggests a very different interpretation.